Collinsville park project gets $10K more; Zenk Road in Troy gets grant funding
by Randy Pierce • Identified as serving an area meeting federal guidelines for low- to moderate-income populations, a park project in Collinsville is receiving an additional $10,000 as a result of a resolution passed by the Madison County Board at its regular monthly meeting held on Wednesday, March 18.
Administered through the county’s community development department of which Stacey Pace of Troy is director, the federal money from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development will be added to an originally allotted, from the same source, $100,000, designated for the installation of playground equipment at Glidden Park in Collinsville.
This action results from the need by the county to reconfigure the usage of the applicable grant funds because a park improvement project in Bethalto has been withdrawn from consideration and another one is getting money from a different source.
Included in this county program also, but with no additional grant funds added by this resolution, is Phase Two of the upgrade of Zenk Road in Troy, the total being designated for it set at $286,000.
The federal programs from where this funding is coming are formally known as the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships. The HUD requires recipient government units like the county to prepare and submit an action plan concerning the use of these funds, so the resolution approved by the county board actually represents what the source of it defines as a “substantial amendment” to the 2025 plan which includes adding a category designating parks and infrastructure improvements.
The county’s total for 2025 regarding its money received from the HUD programs referred to herein is $1,379,709 with projects also covered by it consisting of a water line in Wood River, sewer lining in Venice and, newly added with the passage of the aforementioned resolution, street improvements in Madison.
As part of the reconfiguration of the county’s grant money, electrical upgrades for the Community Hope Center in Alton, estimated and approved in an amount of $180,000, will not be using funds from this source and support from another source is being provided.
